Use of Grafted Seedlings for Commercial Tomato
Production in North America
Chieri Kubota,
Patricia Rorabaugh and Mark Kroggel
Department of Plant Sciences,
Controlled Environment Agriculture Program
Abstract. Grafting of vegetable plants has
been practiced widely, especially in Asia and Europe, for many years and
on various crops including tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum).
Grafting onto specific rootstocks generally provides resistance to
diseases, nematodes and other soil borne pests. In addition to such
traditional advantages, grafted seedlings have been attracting the
interest of greenhouse hydroponic (soil-less culture) growers
internationally, since grafting is thought to provide increased vigor to
the scion, which is especially significant in longer crop cycles.
This increased vigor is perhaps due to the rootstock acting as a superior
conductor of water, providing more water and nutrients to the stems,
leaves and fruits, mainly because of the better developed root
system. This has resulted in increasing numbers of hydroponic tomato
growers utilizing grafted seedlings and increasing production of grafted
tomato seedlings in North America. The Controlled Environment
Agriculture Program at the University of Arizona has been conducting
studies on various aspects of grafted tomato seedlings including
physiology, production techniques, handling/shipping, and crop
yield. We will discuss the commercial status of production and use
of grafted tomato seedlings in North America as well as the latest
research outcomes.
CEAC Paper #P-125933-36-04
Financial
support was provided by the Controlled Environment Agriculture Center
(CEAC), College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, The University of
Arizona, Tucson, AZ.
Authors would like to thank Ray Breedveld,
Ruben Houweling, Allen Gill, Mario Steta, Damian Solomon and Arlan
Turnbull for providing
information. |
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